


You Take Care Of Me, I Take Care Of You

by Kaimu



Series: The Retirement Series [2]
Category: Swimming RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-09
Updated: 2012-12-09
Packaged: 2017-11-20 17:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/588009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaimu/pseuds/Kaimu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "You Bring Out The Child In Me". The cast gets removed. At least one person is happy about it...</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Take Care Of Me, I Take Care Of You

During his time with his leg in a cast, after he got out of the hospital, Michael spend his time in Florida. To relax, but mostly to be with Ryan.

He watched Ryan train, watched him surf. Everywhere Ryan was, he took Michael with him. Only when Michael didn't feel like going out did he stay at Ryan's house alone, moving around in his wheelchair or using his crutches.

Now he was back in Baltimore, back to the hospital to finally get that damn cast removed. Michael couldn't be happier.

Ryan on the other hand...

Michael noticed the change. How closer the day came that he would go back to Baltimore, how more quiet Ryan became. More resigned. Michael had no clue why his boyfriend's mood had suddenly changed.

How hard he might have hated his stay at the hospital, now he would do anything to go back to that day when Ryan came to visit him and made his white cast into a piece of art. That's when Michael had seen Ryan at his happiest.

That's when he gets it. That's when he knows why Ryan looks so unhappy lately.

"It's the cast, isn't it?"

Ryan gives him a sideways look, then focuses back on the road. "What?"

"It's the cast. You're sad because they're gonna remove it today." Ryan shrugs and Michael sighs. "You know I can't wear that thing forever. I want to be able to have sex with my boyfriend without having to be careful of my stupid leg."

It was meant as kind of a joke, Ryan knew that, but he rolled his eyes and choose to ignore that last comment completely.

"I know," Ryan answers, "It's just... It was nice to see you wear something that I made, or at least made the decorations. It was like...like you were wearing something so everyone could see you were mine."

Michael knew Ryan wasn't the jealous-possesive kind of guy, but he obviously liked it when people asked Michael who had colored his cast like that. Even more so when they saw what Ryan had written on it.

Michael's friends and sisters had made fun of him a little, Ryan's brothers had slapped him on the back and gave him their condolescences for having to put up with their brother's antics. Michael didn't care. Ryan's smile everytime he looked at the cast was more than worth putting up with the teasing. Seeing Ryan happy was all Michael ever wanted.

"I don't have to wear a cast to show people that I'm yours." Michael says, waggling his eyebrows.

Ryan snorts. "I just thought it looked good on you."

"I don't know if that's a compliment, but I'll take it as one because I know you probably meant it like that."

Ryan doesn't answer, just looks at the road in front of them and drives in silence until they arrive at the hospital.

Once there, Ryan helps Michael into his wheelchair and gets behind it to drive him to where they have to be for Michael's cast removal.

Ryan was still quiet and Michael felt bad. He would do anything to get the old Ryan back.

Because if there's one thing Michael hated was to see his boyfriend unhappy. Now he just had to find a way to fix it.

~~++~~

It didn't take too long until Michael was called inside, Ryan steered him inside and helped him on the doctor's bed, then he sat down on the empty chair next to the bed; looking anywhere but at Michael or the doctor.

The doctor glanced at Ryan, then at Michael, who shrugged at her and tried not to let Ryan's behavior get to him.

"So, Mr. Phelps," the doctor smiled, "Ready to get your extra leg removed?"

"Hell yes!" Michael exclaimed, not noticing Ryan stiffening in his seat. "I can't wait to walk properly again."

"That might take a little more time, you know you'll have to get some therapy. But at least you'll be rid of the warmth, the extra weigth and the itching."

"That's good enough."

While the doctor gets her equipment ready, Michael looks over to Ryan. To his horror, his boyfriend looks like he's gonna cry and Michael's at a loss.

He stares down at the cast, to Ryan, then back to his cast. He knows what he's got to do.

"Ready?" the doctor asks and Michael is sure he can hear a sniffle coming from Ryan's direction. He motions to the doctor to get closer, then whispers something in her ear.

The doctor looks over at Ryan, then back to Michael and smiles knowingly. She gives him a nod in understanding, then gets to work.

Michael can't wait to see Ryan's face once she's finished.

~~++~~

"There, all done." the doctor says once she's finished. "You're a free man, mister Phelps."

Michael smiles at her, "Not completely free, though." The doctor helps him up from the bed and lets him lean against it, right in front of Ryan. "Ry? I'm good to go." Ryan doesn't look up until Michael dangles the now empty cast, except for the decorations, in front of his face. "I've got something for you."

Ryan grabs the cast and turns it around and around in his hands, studying it, noticing everything is still pretty much intact. Especially his inscription.

Ryan looks up, a stray tear escaping his eyelids, then he's up on his feet, his arms wrapped around Michael, almost squeezing the life out of him.

Michael knows he made the right decision when he hears the words "Thank you" being repeated into his ear over and over again and being hugged so hard it almost hurts; but in a totally good way.

That conclusion is confirmed even more when the doctor mouths a "good call" to him before she walks out of the door to give them some privacy.

When he pulls back, Michael knows he's got his Ryan back at the silly grin on his face and those sparkling eyes he had missed so much.

"I love you, Mike."

"I know." Michael answers with a soft smile, "That cast is proof enough."

It's true. That cast truely is a token of Ryan's love for him. It would be a complete and utter shame to let it get thrown away.

Ryan helps Michael into his wheelchair and gives the cast to him to keep it safe while he rides him back to the car.

"Don't drop it!" Ryan warns and Michael rolls his eyes.

"I don't have a death wish, so, it will stay safe in my arms."

Ryan smiles, that smile that he reserves just for Michael, then gets behind the chair and starts rolling it through the hallways.

Ryan talks the whole way to the car, then during the whole ride back to Michael's house, and Michael realizes just how much he missed this. How much he missed hearing Ryan just rattle on like that.

Once they get inside the house and Michael is seated on the couch, Ryan is on his lap almost in a flash; after having put the cast into safety of course; and Michael gets thanked for his thoughtfulness by being kissed into oblivion.

This hadn't been just a good idea to give Ryan the cast...It had been a freaking great idea!

He knew that when Ryan put the cast into the trophee case, together with both of their medals they'd won over the years, that he probably would get shit from his friends again, but he could simply care less.Ryan was happy and that was all that mattered to him.If that meant he had to deal with a couple of jokes once in a while, so be it.

Keeping Ryan happy was his major goal in life now that he was retired from swimming and it seemed like he was very well on his way with doing so.

Ryan had helped him through some very shitty time, being the only one who knew how to deal with Michael while he only had one good leg, it was only fair he got some kind of reward for it.

And well, Michael got rewarded as well...By having a whole night of steaming hot sex.

Great idea? More like: Freaking Awesome! Best Idea In The WORLD!


End file.
